Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05TELAVIV4621
2005-07-25 07:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tel Aviv
Cable title:  

CHIEF DISENGAGEMENT AUTHORITY BASSEY DISCUSSES

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 004621 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2015
TAGS: EAGR EAID PGOV PREL KWBG IS GAZA DISENGAGEMENT
SUBJECT: CHIEF DISENGAGEMENT AUTHORITY BASSEY DISCUSSES
DISENGAGEMENT PLANNING WITH STAFFDEL TALWAR

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b
) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 004621

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2015
TAGS: EAGR EAID PGOV PREL KWBG IS GAZA DISENGAGEMENT
SUBJECT: CHIEF DISENGAGEMENT AUTHORITY BASSEY DISCUSSES
DISENGAGEMENT PLANNING WITH STAFFDEL TALWAR

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Gene A. Cretz for reasons 1.4 (b
) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Staffdel Talwar met with Yonatan Bassey,
Director of the Disengagement Authority (SELA),on July 11 to
discuss Israel,s ongoing preparations for the upcoming
evacuation of 17 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four
settlements in the northern West Bank under Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon,s disengagement plan. Bassey volunteered that
he did not see any situation where Sharon would postpone
disengagement. The first part of disengagement will start on
August 15, but the physical evacuation of settlers by the GOI
will start two days later on August 17. According to Bassey,
the evacuation of settlements in the northern West Bank would
begin the second week of September to give the IDF sufficient
time to redeploy. Of the four West Bank settlements, Bassey
anticipated Sa Nur to be the only problematic one.
Approximately 80 percent of the 1,700 families in the Gaza
Strip slated for evacuation have not taken the first step in
knowing where they will go after they are evacuated. Bassey
lamented that despite claims of help by the international
community, no solutions have been agreed upon to transfer or
sell the greenhouses. End summary.

-------------- --------------
Israel Will Complete Disengagement Despite Difficulties
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Describing disengagement as &very difficult,8
Yonatan Bassey, Director of the Disengagement Authority
(SELA),said he did not know if people abroad understood how
complicated the evacuation of settlements would be.
Recalling that disengagement was a unilateral GOI decision
made without holding negotiations with the Palestinian
Authority (PA),Bassey voiced fear that Israeli public
opinion against disengagement will rise to 50 percent.
Public opinion for or against disengagement, Bassey said,
would depend on Palestinian violence against Israelis prior
to and during the process.


3. (C) Bassey volunteered that he did not see any situation

where Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would postpone
disengagement. Bassey stated that &Israel will finish the
mission.8 According to Bassey, the first part of
disengagement will start on August 15, but the physical
evacuation of settlers by the GOI will start two days later
on August 17. Bassey estimated that the Gaza Strip portion
of disengagement would be completed in two to three weeks.
Moreover, he anticipated a &huge quantity8 of settlers
would start to leave approximately two weeks before August
15, saying settlers were afraid of the IDF coming to evacuate
them and did not want their children around during that time.
Bassey hoped that no more than 30 percent of Gaza Strip
settlers would remain to be evacuated on August 17. The
bigger issue for Bassey was dealing with settlers coming into
the Gaza Strip from the West Bank to bolster resistance
against the evacuation.


4. (C) According to Bassey, the evacuation of settlements in
the northern West Bank would begin the second week of
September to give the IDF sufficient time to redeploy. Of the
four West Bank settlements, Bassey anticipated Sa Nur to be
the only problematic one. Bassey said that SELA already had
an agreement for relocation in place with Homesh settlers and
he foresaw Gannim and Qaddim to be more or less empty by the
end of the July.

--------------
Preparing for August 15
--------------


5. (C) Bassey stated that in the run-up to disengagement, 90
percent of his time is spent on getting psychological
assistance for families, trying to organize relocation of
whole communities, and providing settlers with compensation.
Bassey stressed the importance of providing psychological
help for families that will be evacuated and said that more
than 70 psychologists are working with settlers. According
to Bassey, a lesson learned from the 1982 evacuation of
settlements in the Sinai is that trauma after evacuation is
reduced if communities are relocated en masse.


6. (C) The GOI has invested in 600 caravans and rented
600-700 apartments for settler relocation. Settlers may also
be taken to hotels in Beersheva and Ashkelon. Bassey is also
working to relocate six or seven communities as a whole.
Despite growing interest by more communities for this option,
Bassey did not believe that sufficient time remained.
Notwithstanding the GOI,s attempts to prepare
settlers*-bussing them to alternative relocation sites,
advertising possible areas of relocation, posting information
on its website, and sending letters to
settlers*-approximately 80 percent of the 1,700 families
slated for evacuation have not taken the first step in
knowing where they will go after they get evacuated.


7. (C) According to Bassey, as of two weeks ago, less than
200 families had submitted all the documents necessary for
obtaining compensation. He expected this number to cross 600
by the end of the week. Bassey stated that things are moving
quickly and he was trying to get families a NIS 200,000
advance of their compensation paid within 60 days. However,
even if families submit their claims within the week, they
will not get compensation until after disengagement.


8. (C) Speaking about the transfer or sale of settlement
agricultural assets, Bassey lamented that despite claims by
the international community to help, no solutions have been
agreed upon regarding transfer or sale of greenhouses.
According to Bassey, there are approximately 1,000 acres of
settlement greenhouses in the Gaza Strip, which yield about
$50 to 60 million in revenues each year. Bassey estimated
that it would cost $15 million to buy all the greenhouses,
which can employ up to 20,000 Palestinians. Bassey said he
will advise settlers to begin transferring the greenhouses to
sites in Israel in the next few days. (Note: USAID is
working with Special Envoy Wolfensohn and other donors to try
to effect transfer of some of those assets. End note.)

--------------
Lessons Learned
--------------


9. (C) In response to Staffdel,s questions on lessons
learned, Bassey said that a GOI mistake was comparing two
different scenarios when planning for disengagement: the 1982
evacuation of settlements in the Sinai and evacuating Gaza
Strip settlements. While settlers in Yamit and other Sinai
settlements lived there for approximately 6 to 7 years,
settlers in the Gaza Strip have lived there between 20 and 30
years and have stronger ties to the community and to each
other. While 90 percent of all compensation was dispersed
before the evacuation of the Sinai settlements, only 10
percent will be given before August 15.


10. (C) Bassey considered the GOI,s biggest mistake to be
the belief that compensation was enough to get people to
leave their homes. According to Bassey, the majority of
settlers are in denial, as evidenced in the lack of planning
for the day after. Bassey stated that while opposition to
disengagement among Gaza settlers was approximately 50
percent a year ago, it is approximately 80 to 90 percent
today.


11. (C) This cable was cleared by Staffdel.

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